Health Promotion

Health Promotion is the process of enabling individuals and communities to increase control over the factors that influence their health and quality of life. An important characteristic of health promotion is its focus on groups of people, either the whole population or specific subgroups. It places emphasis on changing environments to enable behaviour to change.

Health promotion draws upon principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, social justice, equity, community and development.

Within health promotion, health/ Hauora is understood as an holistic concept. Wairua ( the spiritual), Hinengaro (mental), Tinana (physical), Te Reo Rangatira (language) and Whanau (family) are all elements which interact to produce wellbeing. The wellbeing of Te Ao Turoa (environment) contributes also. This approach requires that Maori health be understood in the context of the social, economic and cultural position of Maori.

Within the Public Health Unit's Supporting Communities Cluster, we work on the following Health Promotion programmes: